This Time, No Escape
by lolliipxps
Summary: Michael moves back to Santa Carla after a few years thinking that everything was behind him. What he doesn't know is that things are never really that simple. He's about to find out the hard way that once you're pack, there's no escaping.
1. Welcome Back to Santa Carla

It had been a long time since Michael had been in Santa Carla. In fact, it had been two years. The brunette honestly never thought he would even come back to this place after leaving for college, yet here he was.

Luckily he'd found a job relatively quick and a cheap place. At least a place that would work until he made enough to find something better.

Nothing had really changed that much since he left, just the same old Santa Carla. Well, except for a few things. For instance, apparently those weird Frog brothers packed their bags and closed shop. Of course, the only reason he knew that was because Sam went on and on about it, claiming something wasn't quite right about that. Michael, on the other hand, could care less.

Michael's curiosity got the better of him and he'd driven to the sunken hotel, despite part of telling him it wasn't a good idea. However, the boys were dead right? So what harm would it do?

"Wow, this place hasn't changed a bit," He remarked loudly as he brushed a hand against the arm of the wheelchair, surprised by lack of the dust. The seat even seemed like it had been sat in lately. Still, the brunette shrugged it off. Some homeless guy was probably staying there.

The longer he was there he got a bad feeling, although faint at first, was slowly becoming more noticeable. Something wasn't really adding up here. However, he forced himself to push the feeling back.

"_Drink this, Michael be one of us." _

_The boys chanted his name, urging him to take the bottle that was being offered. _

"_You don't have to, Michael. Don't listen to him." Despite Star's words the bottle was snatched but he didn't drink right away, the boys were still chanting in the background. "It's blood."_

"_Yeah right."_

Michael shuddered at the memory. If only he had listened to Star, he wouldn't have gotten in that mess if did. Even if in the end she was able to live a human life again, wherever she was now. Her and Laddie had taken off around the same time he did. He gave the place one last look, unaware of the set of blue eyes watching him as he exited the hotel.

* * *

David and the boys were resting on their spots when the familiar presence alerted the bleach blond. All it took was one sniff to know who was there. It had been quite some time but there was no mistaking whose blood he was smelling. Michael.

The leader hid in the shadows, watching the human intently. So Michael was back in Santa Carla, finally. Truth be told, the blonde didn't expect to ever see the brunette ever again. Nonetheless, he was here now and David was going to take full advantage of this opportunity. A grin stretched across his face as he watched Michael leave.

When the sun set, he was the first one up. The boys weren't too far behind as indicated by the echoing howls.

"So where we gonna go tonight? I think I'm feeling blond," Marko proclaimed as he jumped onto the couch, "Maybe I'll get lucky enough to find one with a nice rack."

"But you're always going for blondes. Someone has a type." Paul smirked, purposely messing with Marko's hair. Which apparently Marko didn't like and proceeded to wrestle the other vampire.

Dwayne rolled his eyes at the pair before his attention was turned to David. There was something different about him today. But it wasn't bad, in fact he could almost feel renewed energy radiating off the leader. Something that used to more present up until the Emerson incident. The other two might've felt it if they weren't busy being dumbasses.

Admittedly, the head vampire was never really the same after Michael left, even after the betrayal. It was like part of his spirit just...died. Dwayne, knew David far better than anyone, and he knew that one of his biggest regrets was letting Michael get away. In fact, he would have followed him if he it hadn't take so long to recover.

This change could only mean one thing. Michael was back.

"Michael's back, isn't he?" Dwayne remarked. "You would have told them to shut up by now."

That managed to get David's attention, and even the two idiots who decided it would be fun to bite each other _again. _Then they all saw it, the grin that had been absent all this time.

"Wait, Mikey's back? When did that happen?" Marko harshly pushed Paul off of him, "And don't mess with my hair again, asshole."

"It doesn't matter, all that matters is that he's here." David briefly rose an eyebrow at Paul and Marko before the grin returned. "He paid the hotel a visit, has no idea we survived. Gonna have to change that."

"Are you gonna finally get revenge and kill him? I mean he did try to kill you, so it's only fair." Paul muttered that last bit, slowly putting himself in a sitting position. "We still have to take care of his little shit of a brother."

David glared threateningly at Paul. "I do not, nor will I ever have any intention of killing Michael. If any of you so much as think of laying a hand on him, I'll fuck you up. Got it?"

Dwayne, of course, knew better but the same couldn't be said for them. "You plan on bringing him back in."

"Hold on, what makes you think Mikey is gonna wanna join up? " Marko added, "Last time didn't exactly go well."

A wider, somewhat sinister, grin graced the head vampire features. "It doesn't matter, because this time we aren't going to give him a choice."

* * *

Sam wasn't an idiot. Everyone else might've moved on and forgot the whole thing, but not him. Just because there were less reported disappearances in Santa Carla didn't mean they weren't still happening. Just like he knew the Frog brothers wouldn't just close shop and leave, something had happened to them. But no, everyone just kept telling him it was the comic's getting to him, that he was just as mad as the brothers were. Even his own brother didn't believe him!

As a matter of fact, the youngest Emerson tried his damndest to convince him _not _to come back to Santa Carla. Why? Because he had a feeling something bad would happen if he did. Did his brother bother to listen? Hell no he didn't and now Michael was putting himself at risk.

Worst of all, he'd been lowkey spying on his brother and knew for a fact that he stopped by the Sunken Hotel today. Despite the fact that Sam actively said it was a terrible idea in the first place. For fuck's sake, what if at least one of the Lost Boys had survived? Not to mention they could easily get to Michael, given that he was stupid enough to live by himself.

Knowing full well that his brother was coming over for dinner, on pasta night of all days, he needed to make no one had gotten to him. Carefully mixing in garlic with the parmesan cheese, he was gonna get to the bottom of it.

"Michael, there you are! I was worried you were going to cancel on us," Lucy greeted Michael cheerfully at the door, "Well come on in before you freeze to death!"

"Ah, yeah, sorry about that, had some last minute repairs to work on," Michael chuckled as they joined Sam in the kitchen. "Hey there, Sammy. Still going crazy as usual?"

"Say what you want but I'm not crazy, okay? It's not my fault you can't handle the truth." Sam grumbled, "Can we just get to eating part? I'm starving and you took your time getting here."

"Well unlike you, some of us work for a god damn living," Michael retorted, huffing a bit as he took the seat across from Sam.

"You boys stop it, right now. And what have I told you about language!" That shut them both up long enough for the food to be evenly dispersed.

Sam didn't eat right away, instead watched Michael closely as he put the 'cheese' on his spaghetti. He wouldn't even so much as _touch _his meal until he knew his brother wasn't some shit sucker.

Of course, Michael spit it out the moment he tasted the garlic, alarming the young Emerson. The elder didn't take it to well as he glared daggers at his brother.

"What the fuck Sam!" Michael snapped, he was definitely pissed, that much was obvious when he stood up and pressed his palms against the surface of the table. "Did you seriously put garlic to fucking test me?"

"You can't lie to me, Michael. I know you went to the Sunken Hotel." Sam started to defend himself, "How was I supposed to know whether you were a shit sucker or not?"

His comments only made matters far more worse.

"You've been on spying on me too? That's great, just fucking great." Michael stepped away from the table, briefly looking over at their mother apologetically, "I'm sorry but I think I'm going to have to take a rain check on this one."

"Wait Michael, please don't go." By the time she could even finish the sentence Michael was already gone. "Look what you've done! You've ruined a perfectly good evening."

Sam didn't exactly feel sorry for what he did. Why would he? It was the only way he could know. However, he did at least feel bad for ruining it for their mother.

"Look, Mom, I'm sorry but I had to." He plead, which fell off deaf ears.

"You know what? I can't deal with this, right now. Just clean up when you're done." She put up a hand, using the other to grab her plate.

**Oh would you look at that, another fic. Oooooppssss.**


	2. Returning a Wayward Brother

The sound of frantic knocking on the apartment door woke Michael, who was usually a deep sleeper, up from his slumber. Michael internally cursed as he was hesitant to move even the slightest. Then he looked at the time, it was thirty minutes til midnight. Who the fuck would be knocking on his door this late at night?

Instead of answering the door, Michael opted to stay in bed and closed his eyes. It was most likely some drunk asshole who thought this was their apartment. Shit like was a common occurrence. However, ignoring it became hard when knocking became more incessant and louder.

"Look, you've got the wrong apartment. So, do us both a favor and go bother someone else. " Michael shouted at door out of irritation, which only got worse when it kept on going. "Listen here asshole, it's almost fucking midnight, come back at a decent hour at least."

Finally Michael had enough as threw the sheets off him and went up to the door, not particularly caring if he was only dressed in his underwear.

"What the hell do you wa-" He stopped mid sentence, because when he opened the door, there was no one there. The brunette surveyed the outside only to find that there wasn't even a hint of someone having been there. "Assholes."

Michael grumbled and shut the door. Must have been some little shit's playing a prank. Nevertheless, he shrugged the whole matter off and headed right back in the direction of his bed.

"**Nice place you got here, Michael."**

His body instantly jumped at the sound of the voice. That voice was all familiar. _He knew that fucking voice. _Yet he didn't want to turn around. However, his body and his mind seemed to be on two different wavelengths, as he suddenly found himself facing the devil himself.

"I impaled your ass. You're supposed to be dead." Michael backed away to create more distance from David. Unfortunately his efforts proved fruitless as within seconds they were face to face.

"**This is the only warning you're gonna get, so listen good." **The brunette could feel his breath against his skin, causing a shiver to run down his spine, "**I'm coming for you."**

Suddenly he shot up, feeling the comfort of the mattress below him and the sun was shining. He sighed with relief. _Whew, thank god that was a dream. _Of course, the relief faded when he heard a knock on the door, but this time more casual. Michael then threw on decent enough clothes and proceeded to answer the door to be greeted by the sight of Sam.

"Sam? What are you doing here?" Michael inquired grumpily. "I don't have much time before I have to head to work, so make it fast."

The younger Emerson stood there and twiddled his thumbs. Obviously he wasn't here completely of his own accord. More likely than not, their mother sent him over to apologize.

"Look, I'm sorry for being an asshole last night, alright. There I said it." Sam said with an apparent renewed sense of courage. "I shouldn't have gone that far."

Michael rose a skeptical eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Uh huh. Let me guess, mom put you up to this, didn't she?"

The look on his brother's face answered the question before words could even be spoke. There was no way he would apologize when he wasn't really sorry. Not unless he was pressured to.

"I'm guessing mom threatened to take away your comics, right?"

Sam appeared to hesitate, he knew he was caught.

"Okay, mom may have told me to apologize but I will admit I was bit an asshole," Sam said with a sigh, "You may not see it this way, but I did what I did because I'm concerned about you. Something just doesn't feel right, okay? It's not safe to be on your own."

All that did was earn an eye roll. Really, his concern was touching but completely unnecessary and quite frankly annoying. One things for sure, he definitely wasn't going to tell Sam about that dream he just had.

"I get that you're concerned Sammy, but I can take care of myself." He retorted, "Now will you scram? I have shit I have to do before work."

"I'm not leaving here until you promise to tell me if something happens." Sam huffed, "Especially if it pertains to shit suckers."

"Tch. Yeah, sure will."

* * *

"How long do you plan on messing with him, Davey? Kinda wish I could have a piece of the action." Marko smirked suggestively, leaning against the seat of his bike "Oh man, me and Mikey could have some real fun."

The head vampire didn't take too kindly to the manner in which Marko spoke, certainly didn't like the expression either. His nails extended before he precisely cut Marko's cheek, not deep enough to do too much damage but enough to hurt.

"Ouch! That fucking hurt!" Marko whined as he rested a hand over the small, temporary, wound. "What the hell was that for?"

Overlooking the scene, Dwayne visibly facepalmed. All these years and the idiot still didn't know when to keep his mouth shut.

"Oooh, looks like Davey's a little jealous huh?" Paul teased the blond, though immediately regretting it the moment the attention was shifted to him. He put up his hands and backed away. "Woah, hey, don't take me seriously okay? I was joking, lighten up."

"The only person that is allowed to mess with Michael is me, unless I give you permission, got it? Michael is _mine_." David made no effort to hide just how possessive he was. "As for how long I plan on messing with him, I don't plan on taking any chances this time. We're getting him tonight."

"What about a meal, huh? Need to get something good tonight." Marko sighed dramatically.

"We'll get a bite to eat on the way." David rolled his eyes and hopped on his bike. "C'mon boys, we have a wayward brother to retrieve."

* * *

After a long day Michael didn't feel like putting up with anyone else, not that he was much of a people person anyway. He _was _supposed to make up for ditching his mom the other night. However, he was just wanted to go to his apartment, have a couple beers, and not have to worry about a goddamn thing.

He didn't even bother to turn on the lights when he entered his apartment. The brunette simply tossed his jacket onto the floor and navigated his way towards the fridge. Luckily he knew the place like the back of his hand. Then, just as he cracked a bottle open he could hear a sound coming from the other room.

"Sam? That better not be you or I swear to god." He called out halfheartedly as he stepped into the room, "I don't have time for your shit tonight, got it Sammy?"

When the lights flicked on his heart immediately skipped a beat and the bottle in his hand fell onto carpet, staining it as it leaked. David was standing exactly by the light switch, just as smug as he remembered him.

"Right? This is another dream isn't?" He muttered and shook his head. "Or maybe I'll blink and then you'll be gone."

Michael closed his eyes but got a response he wouldn't expect, at least not from someone who was supposed to be dead. The bastard just laughed like he just told the funniest joke in the world. He sighed with relief when the blond wasn't there when his eyelids squinted open.

"I told you I was coming for you, Michael." That relief dissipated at the feeling of the previously assumed dead vampire's breath hitting his ear as he whispered ever so softly. "You're coming back home with me."

"The hell I am." Michael turned around and delivered a hard right hook, "If you think I'm going with you, you're crazy as those frog brothers."

David rubbed his jaw but he was still just as smug. That one was even harder than the last one.

"You know, that one actually managed to hurt, call me impressed." David smirked and readjusted his jaw, "Oh those wannabe vampire hunters? They tasted a lot better than I thought they would, y'know? Well I guess you would have..."

Eyes flicked from David to the door then back as Michael internally devised a plan to get just get the hell out. All he had to was getting on his bike and he could get away, right? That's if he made it to his bike anyway.

"So, Sam wasn't crazy after all, you killed them all by yourself?" He was stalling, hoping to distract him enough to get the chance to run. The look he got in return wasn't exactly helping his confidence in his plan, though.

From there he just decided to say fuck it, and just bolted towards the door, not even bothering to close and not looking back.

David, on the other hand, didn't even bother to move. The vampire just took his time, not at all worried. Really, he expected this level of stubbornness and stupidity from his chosen. Of course it wasn't like it was going to do the soon-to-be former human any good.

Michael _did _manage to reach his bike he found himself surrounded by the other Lost Boys. He fought back the shock and elbowed Marko square in the face,then did the same to Paul. That pushed gave him just enough room to run.

"Hel-" Michael only got half of the word out, and not near as far he'd like before Dwayne was behind him. Dwayne was a lot harder to fight off and now he couldn't even call out for help as he squirmed viciously in the vampire's arms.

"There's no use fighting, Michael, give up." David once more came into view. "And no one can help you now. Y'know, this could've gone a lot smoother if you just came willingly. Sweet dreams, Michael."

All it took was finding the right pressure points and Michael was out cold.

"Man, Mikey sure knows how to throw a punch doesn't he? That actually managed to hurt a little." Marko complained, "I outta get a little payback, what do ya think Paul?"

"I don't know, what do you think, Dwayne?" Paul only got a glare from Dwayne.

"Did you not hear a single warning David made earlier? Stop being dumbasses, seriously." Dwayne turned his attention to Michael's bike. "What are we going to do with his bike?"

"We'll worry about taking care of his bike later," David remarked, completely ignoring Marko and Paul as he slung Michael over his shoulder. "I'm going to fly him back. Marko leave your bike here for now and ride bitch."

Marko was about to make some comment about leaving bitch there instead but the look on David's face made him think twice. "Fine...but I still need payback."


	3. Only One Option

At first Michael had no idea where he was, just that he was laying on a bed. Groggy eyes fluttered open, expecting to see the decor of his apartment. However, he was perplexed to discover that he couldn't see anything. In fact, there was no source of light, except for a very dim light in the distance but even that was fading. Even more so he attempted to shift in said bed only to find it more difficult when he couldn't move his hands from behind him. Judging from the texture, his hands felt like they were tied together by some kind of hefty rope. Although, it was hard to tell since he couldn't see whatever it was.

Panic began to arise as he began to recollect memories before waking up here. The last thing he remembered was trying to run from David and the boys, and then getting caught before everything faded to black. Desperation set in, causing him to frantically rub the rope in an attempt to loosen it to a breaking point. He could feel his heart beating like a rabbit, worried that any one of the Lost Boys could come any minute, especially with the sun going down..

"I wouldn't bother if I were you." The suddenness of David's statement caused Michael to halt his efforts and freezing on the spot. A match was lit to light a cigarette, illuminating the room slightly.

Michael shifted his feet so that he was hanging on the end of the bed opposite of David. Once he was to his feet he took a step back to create more distance. The bastard looked so fucking smug. Feeling the opposite, Michael shot the blond a glare.

"Where the hell am I?" In the back of his mind he knew where he was, maybe he just didn't want to face the reality. "Take me back now."

"I brought you home, Michael," David let out a puff of smoke, not at all intimidated by the brunette. "Yeah, that's not gonna happen. You're not going anywhere. Oh, and before you start thinking helps coming your way, 'you' left a note to little Sammy. Told him you were gonna take his warning, decided to ditch town."

As quietly as he could, Michael resumed rubbing the rope. If what he said was true, that Sammy wasn't coming, he had to help himself. However, he wasn't doing it near as fast to remain inconspicuous. Though, the more frequently he did it, the more of a rope burn he began to feel. Still, that didn't stop him. He just hoped David couldn't tell what he was doing.

"This isn't my home and you can't keep me here," Michael spat coldly. "I'm not planning on sticking around and you can count on that."

Of course David could see exactly what he was doing, just didn't do anything about it. After all, in the end Michael's efforts would be fruitless. However, he was going to make sure Michael knew exactly what was going to happen. Sooner, rather than later, his chosen would know his place.

"You don't get it, do you? "Your home is with the pack, with _me." _David got right up to him, blocking his view altogether. "Hate to burst your bubble but there is no running away this time. Not that you'll want to when I'm finished with you."

"So what? You think I'm gonna join up because you want me to? Not gonna happen." On the outside Michael appeared calm but not so much internally. His heart was still racing, even more so now. "I thought you would've learned from last time."

The smugness immediately faded away and in its place was a stone cold glare. When David told the boys Michael wasn't going to have any choice in the matter he wasn't saying it for shits and giggles. Whether the human didn't want it or not didn't matter. Eventually he would appreciate the opportunity he was about to be re-given.

"Oh but I did and my mistake was letting you have a choice in the first place." David's features shifted as gold eyes pierced blue before he bit into his wrist and forced it against Michael's lips.

Michael should have seen it coming, should've been prepared. Nonetheless, even if he had been prepared, the vampire was much faster than he was. In fact, he didn't even have any time to press his lips together. At the very least he did his best to avoid swallowing.

"Come on, Michael, you're gonna have to swallow sometime."

The vampire pressed wrist harder, urging him to swallow. Unfortunately Michael could only hold it back so long before the decision was made for him. The moment he gulped he knew he was screwed. It wasn't much, but it just enough to make him want more and he couldn't help but drink more. That was until he realized what he was doing and forced the urges back. His stubbornness kicked in full gear and promptly kneeing David in the groin. He spat out any loose blood that hadn't been swallowed in disgust, despite the fact that it tasted _much _better than the last time…

"You could have just let me go," Michael said in horror as he found himself backed against a wall. Yet he couldn't get the metallic taste out of his throat, or mind. Unlike the last time, this blood was more rich. "I didn't want any of this."

David stood up slowly, still recovering from the low blow. One things for sure, Michael sure knew how to hit where it hurts. None of that mattered, though, because he got _exactly _what he wanted. The connection was established the moment his blood entered the new halfling's bloodstream.

"I couldn't let humanity hold you back, especially once I decided that you're _mine._" David watched him intently as a hand wiped off the stray blood from the now healed wrist. "You think that now, but you'll change your tune."

"You know, just because you managed to get your blood in me, that doesn't mean I'm going to feed." Michael wasn't sure if he believed the words coming out of his mouth but he tried his damndest to make them believable to David.

The leader couldn't help but laugh at how wrong his fledgling was. In fact, his tune would change _very_ soon. The process wasn't going to be pleasant, which is usually why he preferred to wait, but this needed to be done quickly. Tomorrow night would be the perfect night. No running to his baby brother for help this time.

"Sure, keep telling yourself that. In the meantime, don't go anywhere, got it?"

* * *

Something had to be wrong. Sam's gut instinct was telling him that he needed to go Michael's apartment and check up on him. So that's exactly what he did that next morning.

"_Michael, c'mon, answer the door!" By now Sam had stood outside the door for several minutes, but didn't try to knock on the door until now. He was surprised when the door just sort of ...opened. "Mike? Hello?'_

_When he flicked the lights on nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, except for the bottle of beer of the carpet. The contents were spilled on the carpet, and Sam knew for a fact that Michael wouldn't just waste beer like that._

_From the looks of it, everything else had been cleared out. The fridge was empty and when he went into Michael's room the closet was clear. Nothing was left. All except for a note that was laying on a nicely made bed. It read:_

_**Sammy,**_

_**I've been thinking a lot about what you said and you're right. I shouldn't have come back to Santa Carla. I figured you come looking for me, so I left you this note. I've always been bad at goodbyes, so here it is.**_

_**Sincerely,**_

_**Mike.**_

_**P.S. Sorry I was such an asshole**_

_He folded up the note and stuck it in his pocket, giving the apartment on last look before leaving._

Despite the note, it didn't feel right. Michael didn't even bother to stop by the house and say goodbye to their mom. He did the last time so why wouldn't he now? Plus, since when did Michael apologize for something as minor as being an asshole? Never. Just like the frog brother's something just didn't add up.

The first place he knew he had to look was that damn hotel but it was too late in the day now. The sun had already gone down. Going down there when the sun was down, as hunter, would be the most stupid decision he could make. He wasn't _that _stupid. Sam just had to cling on to the hope that Michael would be okay by morning.

* * *

"Full house, ha! Bet you can't beat that hand, can ya?" Paul smirked Dwayne's direction as he slammed his hand down enthusiastically. "I've got this one in the bag and you're gonna have clean up duty for a week."

Dwayne, on the other hand, was not impressed in the slightest as he glanced down at his hand. He sighed and shook his head before setting down his cards. "Straight flush beats a full house. In case that's not clicking, that means you lose."

"Talk about a rack…" Marko was too busy checking out chicks in a magazine to give a shit what they were doing. "Bet she has a pretty nice ass too. You guys wanna see?"

"Wait, there is no way you could have gotten that hand without cheating! You were hiding those cards up your fucking sleeve." Paul muttered, very much like a sore loser. "I want a rematch! First I need to see some eye candy!"

"You say that everytime, but not gonna happen. Have fun cleaning up Marko's pigsty, that shit's gotta be a mess." Dwayne directed his attention to David, who was coming back from seeing Michael. "You're back sooner than I thought you'd be."

"Things must not have gone too well with Mikey, eh?" Marko looked up from his magazine, looking as smug as ever, "Told ya he wouldn't just join up. Mikey's stubborn like that."

The growing smirk on the Head Vampire's face said it all as he plopped down in his wheelchair. "Yeah well, maybe I like him stubborn, wouldn't be nearly as fun without a little defiance here and there. Didn't stop from getting a good dose in him first."

"Does that mean we can kill his kid brother now?" Paul chimed, looking eagerly at David. "It'll be a good way to punish Mikey, could even make him watch."

As much as David wanted the little shit dead, doing it before Michael fully turned wouldn't do any good. _Unless _they used little Sammy as a way of getting to the halfling. If Michael was going to be hassle it would be perfect. So many options for them but only one for Michael…

"Let's leave the little shit alone for now. Depending on how on stubborn Michael is gonna be this time around, little sammy could come in use." David stood back up, "Gonna bring Michael something juicy tomorrow. C'mon boys, let's grab a bite to eat."


	4. A Different Approach

Contrary to what Sam Emerson thought, the vampires weren't stupid, David especially. Even in his slumber it was hard to miss the smaller Emerson's presence. The constant calling of Michael's name in that annoying high pitched was enough to wake the dead. Hours later the scent still lingered, but it was fading. Too bad Michael didn't just take the chance to dine on the perfect, walk-in meal.

"Guess you were right. Kid's smarter than we gave him credit for." Dwayne was his second in command for a reason. "What are you going to do about him?"

"Don't know, that's all up to Michael and whether he cooperates or not." David noticed the thoughtful look on Dwayne's face and raised an eyebrow. "What is it?" He knew that look. Dwayne always had that sort of look when he had an idea, most of time which proved more helpful than not.

"I've been thinking, maybe we've been doing this all wrong." Dwayne replied bluntly, meeting eye contact with the David. Seeing the confusion on the head vampire's features, he elaborated. "The kidnapping, the forced feeding, the threats, all this has done has made Michael want to fight more. He only sees us as monsters, the bad guys." A hand rose, a silent message to tell David to let him continue. "I know you want Michael and I understand, but he doesn't."

Affection emotional response typically reserved for pack only, yet neither of them were known for their affections. The latter certainly pertained to David; While he _felt _it, he was hindered by his lack of ability to express it or understand it to some degree. Dwayne knew this more than anyone else.

"Try to be less forceful with him, if you're gentle with him, maybe he'll understand there is more to being a vampire than killing. He needs to know we're not just some monsters that go bump in the night."

David processed every piece of advice, seriously thinking it over. After careful thought, he determined Dwayne was right. One need only to look back at Michael's reaction to when they slaughtered the group of surf nazi's. Somehow every time the brunette appeared to have a solution to their problems, a voice of reason. "Alright, if you think this will work, I'm willing to give it a try but I'm not so sure."

Dwayne rested a hand on David's shoulder, supply a reassuring smile to drive the point home. "It will, just be patient."

So many should haves applied to this predicament. Michael _should have _left while it was still daylight. _Should have _called out when Sam's voice reverberated along cave walls. _Should have _at least _tried_ to move in his kid brother's direction. However, staggering amount of cons heavily hindered any possibility of doing any of that. For example, the near crippling pain in his abdomen kept the half vampire from doing much, movement wise. Even more so, the hunger clawing at this throat upon even smelling the scent _at a distance _gave a good indication that getting anywhere remotely close to Sam was a _very _bad idea. Luckily Sam had taken the hint, or gave up to try another day. Either way, Sam was safe, that's all that mattered.

"Yikes, looks like you're not looking hot, Michael." The genuine concern took Michael by surprise. There wasn't even the slightest bit of a condescending grin. "I bet you're hungry, aren't you?" The light of a match temporarily illuminated the area as David lit his cigarette. "Had a nice walk in meal earlier, why'd you pass it up, huh?"

"Fuck off." Michael spat spitefully, not amused by David's _impeccable_ sense of humor. "I don't give a fuck what game you're playing, because I'm not gonna be apart of it, and neither is Sam."

"We're not as bad as you think we are, Michael. I promise neither of us will touch Sam, even if the shit helped those hunters 'kill' us."

Blue clashed with blue. Eyes told the entire story. Sam was going to be perfectly fine. Yet when the blond advanced in his direction he flinched, instinctively moving off his bed and further from David, in what he now knew to be some old room of sorts. Imagine his bewilderment when his maker didn't follow, instead sitting on the bed. "Come sit, Michael. I promise I'm not gonna make you do anything tonight."

Not even a hint of a lie lingered in bright, brilliant blue. Words couldn't explain it, but somehow he knew. Although he didn't understand where this was coming from and still hesitant, the assurance was enough to drive the halfling to sit, body still tense, however.

"Must've had some big fucking epiphany, huh? Why are you being so damn friendly?" Michael remarked halfheartedly, though trying to get a good read of the vampire's expression. Another flash of pain in his abdomen prompted him to clench the spot and groan. _Why was it so much worse this time?_

"Ingesting from the vein has a stronger effect." David wasn't surprised but did at least sound concerned. "If you don't drink something it's only going to get worse." The head vampire let out a deep sigh before holding out his wrist, a sharp nail making a cut. "Here, drink."

The sweet fragrance took immediate effect, Michael's nostril's flaring at the scent. However, he forced himself to look away from the very thing he knew he needed. _No, I can't._

"Drinking from me won't change anything, you won't be anymore vampire than you are now." David pointed out insistently. Using his available hand, David cupped his halflings chin, urging him to move closer. "This will dull the pain for a little while. If you don't want to drink human blood, you need to drink from me."

Only when his lips pressed against soft, cold skin did Michael finally lose all tension, the balm of life too enticing as drank from David's wrist. The more the drank, the more he craved, more than he'd ever craved anything. As a byproduct the pain gradually dulled. Pain that was soon replaced by a sense of pleasure, coursing through his very being.

The pleasure was mutual as David pulled the brunette closer, fingers entwining with the brown locks. "That's right, Michael, take as much as you need." David murmured softly into his chosen's ear. The fact that the other was in his arms and drinking was satisfactory enough..

Eventually Michael had to force himself to pull away, perplexed by his own actions. Feeling a hand caressing his cheek and wiping the blood away, he found himself looking into blue once more, more drawn to the other than moments before. "You didn't answer my question, asshole."

"I told you before, I want you, I've wanted you since I laid eyes on you." David chuckled fondly, "You're just too damn stubborn for your own good."

**(I know this chapter was much softer than the rest (and shorter oops), but let me know what you think.)**


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